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Westminster at Oak Mountain’s boys soccer team scored 11 goals in the first half against Thomasville to advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

NORTH SHELBY – During the regular season, the Westminster at Oak Mountain Knights powered their way to a 12-2-4 overall record looking to prove they are one of the best teams after failing to get a shot in the postseason last year as the No. 1 ranked team due to COVID-19 ending the year early.

On Monday, April 26, the Knights began the postseason with that same mentality and it showed en route to an 11-0 win against Thomasville to open the playoffs with a mercy-rule win at the half.

Westminster scored all 11 of its goals in the first half to keep its season alive and advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 1A-3A playoffs where they’ll join the girls team, who advanced without competition.

The Knights got the scoring started in the first four minutes with two boals, both off headers from J.D. Thomas.

Up 2-0, Westminster poured in five goals before 10 minutes had even gone off the clock.

Webster Jackson made it 3-0, before Cort Lund and Luke Richardson joined in on the scoring with the next two goals to make it 5-0 with 30:46 to play in the half.

Less than a minute later, Houston Likens put through his lone goal of the afternoon to make it 6-0.

Jackson then added his second goal and the team’s seventh in 12 minutes to make it 7-0 with 28:45 left in the opening half.

The onslaught of goals cooled off after that for a few minutes, but Lund picked it back up with 12:48 left to make it 8-0.

Just three minutes later, Thomas picked up his hat-trick goal to make it 9-0, before Crawford Merk posted his lone goal of the night to make it 10-0.

Westminster then finished off the scoring with its 11th goal, which also featured a second hat trick for the team as Lund scored his third goal of the night with 3:25 left in the half to create the final score of 11-0.

The Knights will now take on either Trinity or St. Luke’s Episcopal for a spot in the Final Four.

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